Are'nt totems boring?

As i skim through all the builds I'm seeing a sea of blade vortex and blade fall builds as usual.

But I'm also seeing totem builds everywhere.

I mean c'mon...

I use totems while leveling or for decoy etc, but to JUST use totems all the way into end game?

Do people actually enjoy totem builds? It's like you're not even playing... your totems are.

You can jump into packs and shoot fire balls out of your ass with so many cool builds... or you can choose to place some totems on a screen and hide.

Is the only reason people play them because they are safe and they can do more content with them (while being bored with the gameplay)? Or do people really enjoy them?

Serious question.

I Love the Totem playstyle - what you call 'not actually playing' I call 'enjoying the show my creations are providing me'. I'm a huge fan of Tower Defense games - specifically one's from Starcraft and Warcraft III days - so totems give me that buzz of nostalgia and offer me a cruisey way to relax after work and play this great game.

Not all totem builds are equal.

Freezing pulse totems using sire of shards is great, unless you suffer from seizures that is. I also really enjoyed playing Milky's RF totem Chieftan, it doesn't play quite the same as some of the other totem build's I've played.

Oh and totems aren't any safer than any other builds out there. The just don't have to worry about reflect but there is so much more happening on the screen that's the least of your worries anyway. :P

Yes. Yes they are.

Playing HC I definitely see why people play totems, safe, relatively fast, cheap, relatively strong. I have even done so myself once. But! You make all the right points.. Why play totems when you can go cyclone, or eq or TS or arc?!

Fight the power, say no to totems! Kill with power, not with wimpy immobile turdnuggets.

Different strokes for different folks.

The appeal of PoE for many/most is the wide open sandbox called Wraeclast that we get to play in. With so many skills available and the huge passive skill tree to use as we desire everyone is free to play as they choose to. You don't like totem builds and others do. I created a Templar fire Hierophant that can deploy 3 fire totems as a front line and then Magma Orb from safely behind to create a scorched earth path of destruction and I found it to be massively fun to play. When I got tired of it I switch to my Blast Rain of death archer crit evasion build. In Essence league I'm playing a combo fire trapper poison archer build with Caustic Arrow. The variety of builds is near endless. I don't see that this is a problem.

For some, Totems are boring as hell, and for others not.

I'm one of those who has no problems with Totems (and traps/mines). There are many variations, some do good other not so. As usual.

For example, Warchief Totems are relativly safe, fast and at least for me they are enjoyable, when they staccato smash on mobs.


To the point "Your Totems are playing not you" - Thats not correct. You have to place them, you have to think where to place them. You have to pay attention to your surroundings and so on.

I love the totem playstyle. I've never really thought about why. I just always find myself drawn back to totem builds.

I thought flameblast totem is one of the coolest build to emerge in awhile.

Clearing: Move to a location, us your skill on the enemy, move to next location, etc...
Boss fights: Run around the boss, use your skill when safe, keep running around etc...

^ That's how you play with all ranged builds. Totem, bow, spellcaster, trapper; it's all the same. I don't really see the difference.